When Gu Yanshu brought up the Emperor's urgent summons that day, Qin Lu's expression darkened slightly, as if recalling something unpleasant.
After finishing the last sip of soup in his bowl, he slowly began:
"Word has come from Ruizhou: Shaocheng has been hit by a snow disaster. The situation is not good."
The Emperor's urgent summons, which included many court officials, was so pressing that it even disregarded the fact that it was New Year's Eve. Without much thought, it was clear something major had happened.
Before Qin Lu returned, Gu Yanshu had considered many possibilities.
What he had thought most about was some sudden change at the border that might require Qin Lu to take up arms again.
But even after all his speculation, he never expected such an entirely unforeseen answer.
"Snow disaster? Shaocheng?"
As he repeated these words, Gu Yanshu's face seemed to spell out one thing: absurd!
To understand why Gu Yanshu reacted this way, one must start with Shaocheng's geographical location.
During his convalescence at the Marquis of Cheng'en's residence, Gu Yanshu often spent his free time reading official and unofficial histories of Tianqi, as well as local records and miscellaneous books.
He had also studied maps of Tianqi.
Combining the original Young Master Gu's memories with these texts, Gu Yanshu had discovered that Tianqi greatly resembled China in terms of cultural history, geography, and climate.
For example, if this were a parallel world, Tianqi would be located in the Northern Hemisphere, just like China.
The capital of Tianqi, Yanjing, overlapped almost perfectly with Beijing in geographical position and had a strikingly similar climate.
As for Shaocheng, which Qin Lu had just mentioned as suffering a snow disaster, it was located southwest of the capital.
In China, anyone with a primary school education knows a basic fact:
Compared to the north, southern regions are less likely to receive snow.
Some southern cities might not see even a light snowfall all year.
In China, if a southwestern city saw snowflakes in a given year, it might even make headlines on social media.
This shows that Shaocheng's coldness and snowfall should, by no means, be more severe than that of Tianqi's capital.
A few days ago, when Yanjing saw its first snow, Gu Yanshu had noticed that Tianqi's first snow came later than in China.
Combining this with the original Young Master Gu's memories, it was clear that the heaviest snow period in Tianqi had not even arrived yet.
Under these circumstances, Yanjing itself had not suffered snow damage, nor had cities north of Yanjing—yet a city southwest of Yanjing was experiencing a snow disaster…
If anyone other than Qin Lu had said this, Gu Yanshu would have thought he was hearing a fairy tale.
"Yes, Shaocheng."
Qin Lu nodded slightly and proceeded to describe the news he had received.
Compared to previous years, this winter in Tianqi was particularly harsh.
Many areas that typically never saw snow had experienced snowfall this year.
And cities that usually saw snow in winter were hit much more heavily.
Although Shaocheng was southwest of the capital, it wasn't far in terms of distance, so its climate shared many similarities with Yanjing.
In previous years, Shaocheng had light, continuous snow in winter, but this year, light snow had turned into heavy snow.
Unlike Yanjing and northern cities, where buildings were reinforced to withstand heavy snow, many homes in Shaocheng were not built to bear significant snow accumulation.
Moreover, a considerable number of people in Shaocheng still lived in thatched cottages.
When it became apparent that this winter was colder than usual, the court had already issued warnings to local governments, urging them to be vigilant.
But whether due to negligence by Shaocheng's officials or the people ignoring the government's warnings, by the time the court received word, the situation was already extremely severe.
Conditions were relatively stable within the inner city of Shaocheng, where buildings were sturdier.
But according to the messenger, in the suburbs and villages, among those still living in thatched homes, barely one in ten houses remained standing.
This winter, before the main residence was renovated and without underfloor heating, Gu Yanshu had at one point used eight charcoal braziers in his room to keep warm.
Even if Shaocheng was not as cold as the capital, without shelter, it was easy to imagine how difficult it must be for the villagers.
Just from Qin Lu's description, Gu Yanshu could picture the scene.
"It's reported that many people who lost their homes and had nowhere to escape the cold did not survive—they died outside the city."
Even Qin Lu, who usually showed little emotion, looked grim as he said this.
Gu Yanshu never expected to hear something so outrageous:
"Frozen to death? What about Shaocheng's prefect? Didn't he arrange shelter for these people?"
At this question, Qin Lu's already dark expression grew even more severe.
Even without a verbal reply, Gu Yanshu understood the answer from his reaction:
Despite the court's early warning, Shaocheng's government had still allowed snow to collapse people's homes. It was likely they had taken no action after the disaster occurred—no shelter arrangements, no organized efforts to help rebuild…
If that were truly the case, then the number of people who froze to death in this snow disaster must be significant.
"The messenger arrived in the capital in the early 3-5 AM."
Early 3-5 AM…
According to Xingren, before 5-7 AM, the Emperor had summoned Qin Lu to the palace.
Considering the timing, the Emperor likely called them in immediately after receiving the news.
Given that lives were at stake, the Emperor' urgency was understandable.
Qin Lu's next words confirmed Gu Yanshu's thoughts:
"Father Emperor was furious upon receiving the news and urgently summoned me, the other princes, and several ministers to the palace to discuss the matter."
"What was the outcome of the discussion?"
From Mao时 until now, nearly four hours had passed.
With so many people summoned and such a long discussion, even the biggest issues should have been resolved.
"Father Emperor has appointed someone to set out immediately for Shaocheng for disaster relief. As for the officials involved, they will be brought back to the capital for punishment after relief efforts conclude."
"Who did His Majesty appoint for the relief mission?"
From Qin Lu's tone, Gu Yanshu could tell that Qin Lu was not the one chosen.
Qin Lu quickly provided the answer:
"The Second Prince and Vice Minister Zhao from the Ministry of Revenue were selected."
Hearing the chosen officials, Gu Yanshu knew this matter truly had little to do with the Prince Li's household.
Both the Second Prince and the Vice Minister of Revenue were supporters of the First Prince.
"The First Prince strongly recommended the Second Prince during the selection process. Father Emperor also seemed to prefer sending the Second Prince, so I didn't strive too hard for the assignment."
Seeing Gu Yanshu deep in thought, Qin Lu felt compelled to explain.
Gu Yanshu immediately understood that Qin Lu had misunderstood:
"Disaster relief will inevitably involve the Ministry of Revenue, and the Minister of Revenue is aligned with the First Prince. It's actually better that you didn't go—if you had, things might have been more difficult."
Just from Qin Lu's brief description, Gu Yanshu could tell that the situation in Shaocheng would not be easy to handle.
If the appointed official could resolve the issues, all would be well; if not, they would likely face blame.
If Qin Lu had gone, the Ministry of Revenue could easily create obstacles for the Prince Li's household.
While weighing these thoughts, Gu Yanshu completely missed the look of relief that briefly crossed Qin Lu's face.
When Gu Yanshu asked about the disaster relief appointee, Qin Lu had felt somewhat uneasy.
After all, to any observer, this was a great opportunity to earn merit, yet he hadn't secured it.
Back in the military, Qin Lu had often heard soldiers discussing their wives in private—sometimes boasting, sometimes complaining.
Among the complaints, what he heard most was wives criticizing their husbands for not working hard enough.
Classic remarks included: "Look at so-and-so who enlisted with you—he's already a battalion commander. You've been working for years—why are you still just a squad leader?"
Or: "You never strive to get ahead—what will you do after you leave the army?"
Qin Lu had been somewhat afraid that Gu Yanshu might also say something like: "How is it that the First Prince secured the disaster relief assignment, but you didn't?"
If that happened, he wouldn't have known how to respond.
With these messy thoughts occupying his mind, his expression had naturally revealed some tension.
Noticing Qin Lu's unusual look, Gu Yanshu actually thought he was upset about not securing the assignment:
"Your Highness, don't overthink it. Regarding the disaster relief, His Majesty must have had his own considerations. Besides, the Prince Li's household has drawn plenty of attention recently—laying low for a while is also good."
How could Qin Lu have imagined such a pleasant outcome?
Not only was there no trace of displeasure on his Consort's face for missing the assignment, but he was even comforting him!
Immediately, Qin Lu nodded cheerfully:
"My Consort speaks wisely. This Prince understands."
Unaware of what Qin Lu was really thinking, and seeing his expression soften, Gu Yanshu brought up another matter:
"Then do we still need to go to the palace today to pay respects to His Majesty and Consort Gui?"
"His Majesty hardly rested last night. By the time I left the palace, he already looked weary. He has already waived today's formal audience. In a while, you can accompany me to Consort Gui's palace."
Gu Yanshu wasn't surprised by this outcome.
Given the Emperor's temperament, after an incident like Shaocheng, he probably didn't even feel like celebrating the New Year, let alone receiving greetings from younger family members.
Still, when entering the palace, Gu Yanshu didn't forget to bring along the New Year gift intended for the Emperor.
Even if the person didn't need to be visited, the gift still had to be delivered.
Perhaps because of the snow disaster in Shaocheng, Gu Yanshu could clearly sense that the atmosphere in the palace was unusually heavy this time.
Consort Gui didn't even let Gu Yanshu and Qin Lu stay long—after little more than the time it takes to drink a few cups of tea, she found an excuse to send them away.
Maybe because Qin Lu had never been particularly close to Consort Gui, he didn't mind at all. Following her hint, he took Gu Yanshu and left the palace.
As they were leaving, Gu Yanshu instinctively glanced in the direction of the Emperor's quarters.
The palace was decorated with many red lanterns for the New Year, and the Emperor's residence was no exception.
From a distance, it looked entirely festive and celebratory.
Gu Yanshu withdrew his gaze and sighed softly to himself:
This year's New Year celebration probably wouldn't be a peaceful one.